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The MMO Information Station: Help for Prospective Players
Sterica
YesRegistered User, Moderator mod
YesRegistered User, Moderator mod
Massively Online Multiplayer games are different. They are generally a social experience, meant to be played over long stretches of time rather than simply beaten and shelved. There was a bit of an explosion some years ago after World of Warcraft made the bankest of banks ever, and thus companies threw a lot games out there in the hopes of getting their own WoW money. So maybe you're new to this whole thing, and maybe a friend wants you to play or maybe your curiosity has gotten the better of you. Or perhaps you're a grizzled vet that, against your better instincts, has an MMO itch to scratch. Either way, this thread will serve as an aid for deciding which MMO to play. It seems to make more sense than having a player jump between 10+ threads asking questions.
This thread allows is for cross-pollination you may not get elsewhere. Simple comparisons that may be difficult to answer in other threads, or maybe you feel it'll derail the current conversation elsewhere. A good example of a post is "I like WoW's raid content, but feel it's lacking in casual stuff. How does SWOTR compare?" whereas a bad example is "Explain FFXIV's endgame to me." which would be better in, you know, the FFXIV thread. This also is not a chat thread where people get into pissing contests defending their pet MMO while attacking others. A good guideline is to ask yourself "Is this line of discussion beneficial to someone looking for a new MMO or am I just rushing to the defense of my game?" The thread doesn't serve much of a point if people are afraid to post because people are arguing about which grind for bear asses is less tedious.
In order to help people, this OP will serve as a collection of MMOs along with a list of features, cost, and prospects. It's not meant to be comprehensive descriptions but just a jumping board for people to find MMOs they want to research further. If you don't see an MMO on this list, then just post your own and I'll add it to the OP.
Also: discussion regarding private servers are against the rules. Do not suggest an MMO that was officially shut down.
Last Update: July 2024
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Released: 2004
Cost: $50 for newest expansion; subscription is only thing required for older content
Payment Model: Subscription ($15/mo; can buy sub time with in-game currency) + Cash Shop; Sub Time
Frequent Compliments: Massive playerbase, so you can normally find a group of likeminded people. One of the best leveling experiences out there, something that changed MMOs forever. Quick, fun, and catered to solo players, you will probably get your money's worth by leveling alone. Technically solid, with crisp responsive gameplay and loads of mod support for tailor-made UIs. Raids are considered high-quality content, and the game has finally added endgame content for small groups with scaling Mythic+ dungeons.
Frequent Complaints: Old, so the game may not look as good even with character model updates. The lore has been hot garbage, but recent expansions have been a bit more palatable. Endgame can be seen as uninspired grinding. Game has a history of very slow content updates, particularly between expansions where as much as a year can pass with no new content. Although in recent years this has improved to some degree. Blizzard was exposed as possessing a toxic, misogynistic work environment, making many reluctant to continue supporting the company.
The Future: The War Within, the latest expansion, launched August 2024
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Released: 2019
Cost: $20 (Same base game as modern WoW)
Payment Model: Subscription (also offers access to modern WoW; can buy game time with in-game money in Modern WoW)
Frequent Compliments: It's old-school WoW, with all the quality of life stuff removed. This facilitates a more meaningful leveling experience and more social interaction between players.
Frequent Complaints: It's old-school WoW, with all the quality of life stuff removed. This means a lot of stuff is more a pain in the ass, like getting a group together. It also means the past 15 years of content are largely gone, so no new races or classes. For people that enjoy that scene, WoW Classic is not a perfect replica of its 2005 self. Microtransactions have been leaking in, and some fear the new classic expansion servers will keep splitting the server populations.
The Future: Cataclysm Classic launched in 2024
Developer: Square-Enix
Released: Originally 2010; A Realm Reborn 2013
Cost: $60 (Includes Base Game and all four expansions); Dawntrail starts at $40
Payment Model: Tiered Subscription ($15/mo at 8 characters per World or $13/mo @ 1 character per World) + Cash Shop
Frequent Compliments: Beautiful game with varied content including raids and playing dress-up. Job system means you never need to roll an alt and can play every class on one character. Crafting are treated like classes unto themselves, and thus can get very deep. Excellent story experience for leveling with tons of stuff for Final Fantasy fans to geek out over. Some of the fastest content delivery out there, normally offering something new every 2-3 months. Robust player and guild housing.
Frequent Complaints: Combat may seem slower thanks to higher global cooldown on skills, although faster classes do exist. Original Realm Reborn MSQ content can be a bit long even with the improvements. Housing can be very expensive/limited, although you can buy a personal room at your guild's house or a small apartment. Higher server population can lead to congestion, but this has gotten better since Endwalker's launch.
The Future: Dawntrail, the newest expansion, launched July 2024
Developer: Arenanet
Released: 2012
Cost: Free; $30 for all expansions (Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire)
Payment Model: Cash Shop, but gems can be bought with gold
Frequent Compliments: Dispenses with the "holy trinity" of tank/heal/damage. Emphasis on builds over having 30 skills to remember. Excellent PvP, with both huge World PvP zones and special structured PvP battlegrounds for a more level playing field. Breaks up the standard MMO progression with no quests but rather events and special renown hearts that offer more freedom in how one levels. Also eschewed with increasing level caps with every expansion, instead usually adding alternative progression content. Living Story provides regular content updates. No real gear grind at endgame. Expansions add interesting travel methods, such as gliders and mounts that are more than speed boosts.
Frequent Complaints: The lack of holy trinity makes combat feel a bit loose and weird for some. Instanced PvE content is present, but added to the game infrequently. "No Roles" design philosophy broke down with the release of raids, forcing healers to be required. There is regular content, but up until season two all Living Story content was temporary. You have to pay for older story content if you miss it.
The Future: Janthir Wilds, the latest expansion, launched August 2024
Developer: Bioware
Release: 2011
Cost: Free, expansions are paid-for or available free to subscribing players
Payment Model: Free-to-Play (Subscription Benefits)
Frequent Compliments: Perhaps the best single-player MMO leveling experience out there, with Bioware copying WoW's general design and adding a class-specific story with dialogue options and full voice-acting. Subscribers can level purely off this story to cap without having to bother with side quests. Companions are characters that you can gear up, send on crafting missions, or assist you in general gameplay. Has special content like starship missions which are akin to Starfox-esque gameplay.
Frequent Complaints: Free-to-play model is considered among the worst in MMOs, with stuff like your quickbars being tied to the system. Voice-acted, but you will eventually noticed a lot of canned responses that get frequently recycled. PvE content is generally seen as good, but not quite as good as WoW's from which it heavily borrows. It's Star Wars, but Old Republic so your appreciation for the theme may be lessened if you're more a fan of the original trilogy than the Knights games.
The Future:Legacy of the Sith, the newest expansion, launched February 2022 with new content updates releasing regularly
Developer: CCP Games
Release: 2003
Cost: Free
Payment Model: Free-to-play, with subscription offering numerous benefits
Frequent Compliments: Huge PvP focus, with territory shifting among player-created factions. Features like spies makes for very memorable moments in the game history as a major fleet is destroyed from the inside by infiltrators. Fun galore for those who love to craft and farm and play economics. A game for the space sim junkies out there.
Frequent Complaints: High-stakes PvP, as you can lose everything in particularly bad engagements. Pretty cutthroat in general, as there are plenty of stories of people being scammed out of loads of in-game cash. Not a game where you can make a group with friends and have an impact until you're willing to play with one of the big dogs. A space sim, so if you're expecting WoW gameplay then look elsewhere.
The Future: Development has shifted to a focus on "quadrants," themed content updates.
Developer: ZeniMax Online Studios
Release: 2014
Cost: $60 + DLC packs
Payment Model: Cash Shop, Optional Subscription
Frequent Compliments: Good PvP that reminds some of DAoC's RvR. Interesting combat and class building. Has a good payment model, being buy once and forget it.
Frequent Complaints: PvE content was originally grindy and not very fun. Usual zerg pitfalls of world PvP if you don't have a good, coordinated group.
The Future: Running yearly themed DLC updates, with Gold Road having released this year
The Graveyard
Sometimes you can't go home again. Check to see if your old MMO has kicked the digital bucket. Please note that, while we are aware of that some of these games still technically exist, discussion about private servers is forbidden.
The Matrix Online
2005 - 2009
Star Wars Galaxies
2003 - 2011
City of Heroes
2004 - 2012
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
2008 - 2013
Asheron's Call
1999-2017
Asheron's Call 2
2002-2005; 2012-2017 (Relaunch)
Firefall
2014 - 2017
Wildstar
2014-2018
Bless Online
2018-2019
Fallen Earth
2009-2019 (Has been brought back online under a new publisher/developer in 2021 and the site hasn't had an update since 2023 so not looking good)
Maple Story 2
2018-2020
2005 - 2009
Star Wars Galaxies
2003 - 2011
City of Heroes
2004 - 2012
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
2008 - 2013
Asheron's Call
1999-2017
Asheron's Call 2
2002-2005; 2012-2017 (Relaunch)
Firefall
2014 - 2017
Wildstar
2014-2018
Bless Online
2018-2019
Fallen Earth
2009-2019 (Has been brought back online under a new publisher/developer in 2021 and the site hasn't had an update since 2023 so not looking good)
Maple Story 2
2018-2020
Sterica on
+23
Posts
This is just a cheat sheet for how much MMO costs in case you're on a budget and want to narrow things down. An asterisk ( * ) denotes games where you can buy subscription time using in-game currency.
Box + Subscription
Box Only
Free to Play
Definitely recommend reading up on it/checking out videos before getting too involved with it.
Good to see a thread like this come back, I missed the old free mmo list.
AC2 is back up and running FYI. I'm pretty sure it will never get new content but at least it is officially accessible, which is pretty cool.
You may already know all that but wanted to say it just in case you did not
And don't forget LOTRO
Guild Wars 2 is excellent in allowing players to solo or to play in small groups, and the quests scale appropriately. They have "sidekicking", which means that you and your gear will be brought up or down in level to match whatever quest you are on, so you aren't over/underleveled (there are advantages to being higher level, due to wider options, but it's not necessary to simply play together).
Star Trek Online (which isn't mentioned in the thread) also has sidekicking, so high and low level players can group together to do content. If you love Star Trek, STO is a great game, and it's F2P. Not so much if you don't love Star Trek, though. :P
I'm currently playing through Elder Scrolls Online with the girlfriend, and it's pretty schizophrenic. Some quests seamlessly allow two players to contribute to the same quest together, while others seem like the two of you are soloing this quest in parallel. The only quest portions that scale seem to be the public dungeons (which are great with two players, we've found)... the normal quest-lines are absurdly easy with two people, because they were made for one player. The group dungeons (a different kind of instance) cannot be tackled with just two players, either. We're enjoying it, but it's not nearly as easy to co-op as GW2 (very few games are).
Basically both AC1 and 2 are maintained on servers and that is about it.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Hard to see this not having a big impact on THE SECRET WORLD's future, or lack of one.
is conan still a thing?
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Specifically, the game has investigation missions that will pose riddles to you. The entire game's setting is predicated under the idea that the world exists much as it does IRL, but all conspiracy theories are fact. Sometimes, this will mean that you are given a couple threads about a mystery, and it's up to you to use the internet (the game has a built-in web browser) to unravel the threads and figure out a solution.
Or, if that's not your thing, you can just google the quest's name and find a guide on how to do the quest. But if you want to put on your thinking cap, it's something that no other MMO offers to my knowledge.
The game has some of the best voice acting around, extremely well written and varied characters, a fantastically detailed world/lore, a pretty haunting musical score, and the game just oozes atmosphere.
Sadly the game finds itself in the position it is in at no fault of its own. The game was great, the dev team was great, the company as a whole? Eeh, not so great.
I played TSW when it first came out and there were no quest solutions online and it was amazing. One of my fondest memories is learning how to decipher morse code so I could finish a quest. I spent a looooong time on many individual quests and I loved it. The downside was, at the time, sometimes you didn't know if you were doing a quest wrong or if it was broken. Broken quests are always frustrating, but nevermore so than in TSW.
Want to know how good the puzzles were?
With one puzzle I found myself in a room with these pillars that I could move around. Each pillar had a Latin word at the base. Turned out the words referred to the sun, earth, and the planets.
I was like, "Oh, duh, I gotta put them in order of the solar system. Easy peasy!"
I put them in order, except not all planets are represented. "No biggie" I thought, "This room looks ancient and a lot of planets probably weren't discovered until long after this was built."
I go to "trigger" the puzzle and nothing happens. It didn't work. I was confused and re-checked my order. "Hm, I got the sun and then the planets. Correct order? Yeah. Maybe I got the Latin names wrong? Nope. . . wtf?"
I wrack my brain against it for the longest fucking time. And then I remembered something. The idea that the sun was at the center didn't become standard until, like, the freaking Renaissance!
I do a quick google search for geocentric models and bam, puzzle solved!
I felt like God damn Indiana Jones.
I thought that one was pretty easy because I recalled pretty fast the existence of the Geocentric model as being pretty much undisputed up until around the time of Copernicus and Galileo.
The puzzle I found more insane (in a good way) was the one involving reconstructing a musical score from only a partial series of notes and trying to figure out the composer from that and how the song should sound to open a door.
TSW is the industry standard for puzzle design in many regards, not just in MMOs but pretty much any game; most of the puzzles go beyond the flavor symbol matching and key fetching puzzles so prevalent in games and makes you work for the solution in intuitive ways, and that's one of the reasons I really enjoyed it.
I think if the combat had been more compelling, especially since it's supported by a great talent and specialization system, the game would have done better early on and established itself better. Aside from the puzzles, story and atmosphere, it can get really boring at times when you just mindlessly mow down monsters in a really static manner and spend time on quests where the combat is the focus.
I think one of the key things that should be mentioned for FFXIV is that the story is the content. I see a lot of new players feel pressured to rush through and race to the "endgame" because that's typically what you would do in an MMO to get to the "real" game. But that's not quite the case in FFXIV. Sure the gear grind and raid content is at the end, but what is causing FFXIV to make waves in the MMO world right now is the story and world they have created. For that reason I feel people should take it at their own pace and just enjoy it. You mention that you don't recommend it because it takes so long to get through the story, but that's precisely WHY you should recommend it, because it has 2 years of story content that they can play through and experience. Unless your goal in the MMO is to get to endgame as fast as possible so you can join a static and do the hardest raid content (which statistically amounts to less than 5% of the playerbase in FFXIV) you shouldn't feel like you have to rush at all, just play when you can and at whatever pace suits you and enjoy the ride.
One of the games strengths is that it is highly accessible to people who may not even typically be interested in MMOs (which are notorious time sinks anyways)
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Got my tea leaves yet, Warrior of Light? Also I need my laundry picked up.
That's opening an old wound. Excuse me while I spend the next 20 minutes crying.
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
Love the thread idea, thought I'd mention a piece of context for this element: The price of subscription items is very likely to be balanced around the economics of people at 'endgame' levels. The typical new player is unlikely to make that kind of cash in the first month or so unless they're either leveling really quickly (in WoW) or get in with the right people (in Eve). Can't comment either way on Wildstar.
Then, down the line, once I am richy rich, I can spend less money on my subscription and instead just buy in-game time with all my munny.
They actually did boost the exp from my understanding, and added high ilvl gear to the MSQ to get players set and ready for the 50-60 content. I don't know if you can do it solely on MSQ at this time but from what I've heard it's decently fast.
I think 46-49 still lags though as there is a large dearth of MSQ there.
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Honestly it isn't the process of leveling to 50 which takes the longest time. The story after 50 is so damned long.
There aren't a lot of gaps in the story from 1-50 after they lowered the exp curve (or maybe accelerated gains? I'm not sure). But the gaps still exist (I started running into them in the mid-30s), and they suck. The biggest one is the infamous 46-49 drought. I think if you played as efficiently as possible you could get through it in 3-4 hours; I took a bit longer. This gap is kind of an introduction to what the constant Heavensward experience will be.
The good news is that around then the main story can be really good. There's a lot of stuff in the ARR MSQ that is asinine, fetchquesty bullshit but behind it is some solid character work and a good story and it really comes together in the late-40s stuff. It makes that 46-49 gap even worse because at 46 you get this great setup, then you need to grind 3 more levels to begin to set it off, then you need to grind out the rest of level 50 to finish it.
Then, you need to get through all of the L50 story content. If you really rushed it, it's probably 20 hours of quests. I would not recommend that, because you are blazing through one bad patch of content and 4 stellar patches of content. Great story stuff building into a huge ending that leads right into Heavensward. Having to do the L50 content to get to Heavensward is usually seen as a downside for the game, but honestly this is one of the best parts of the 1-60 experience. The game's strongest feature is its' story quests, and once you hit 50 you have an all-you-can-story-quest buffet. The only disappointment that I'd note is that the game lobs a full set of great L50 gear at you, far better than any of the content is tuned for, so it'll all be disappointingly easy... but just take your time and read the text and watch the cutscenes.
If you buy the expansion right when you hit 50, you'll probably end up somewhere around level 52 when you finish all the ARR story, and I'd really recommend that because the story gaps in Heavensward are awful. For me, from 55 to 60, every level was an hour or two of story content (with maybe a dungeon or trial), then 5-6 hours of grinding dungeons to continue. It's all the more agonizing because the story is legitimately great, and the options for things to do to fill in those gaps are extremely repetitive.
I'd still recommend the game, despite the huge pacing problems. I'd say these are the low parts of the leveling experience (spoiler'd just in case, though I'm only going to list level ranges and non-story reasons why I found things disappointing):
32-35. The game's story sends you in an insultingly long and boring series of fetchquests. It leads up to an amazing boss fight and kicks off some huge story developments right after, but this is what I'd consider the worst part of the ARR story.
46-49. You're feeling the anticipation of big events, but staring at needing to level up 3 times to do any of it. It sucks.
55-60. Every single time right after you level things are great... then everything fun dries up and your options are to grind group content to quickly level or grind solo sidequest content to slowly level.
I always felt like it was a lot of good ideas on paper and pie in the sky expectations for financial backing. Kickstarter's not exactly an ideal way to fund an MMO except as a way to indicate to actual investors that you have an audience willing to spend money on your product.
That's already mentioned in the "frequent complaints" part of the OP for Tera, so it's kind of irrelevant. For people who aren't bothered by the fanservice nature of many of the outfits, the game has a lot to offer... for free.
I actually give Tera a free pass on this, because "Everyone is a stripper" literally applies to EVERYONE.
I think the only pretty consistently fully clothed race is Male human? Maybe Male Mountain man?
Everyone else, and I do mean, literally, EVERYONE ELSE is showin OFF.
Yes, and that's exactly the problem I have with it. That's not armor, not clothing, it exists solely because the game is trying to pull "look at the sexy" on me, which honestly just pisses me off to no end. If that's what people are into then that's what they're into, but it legitimately just makes me personally angry to be treated like that.
Which is fine, however I think the point they are trying to make is that the purpose of this thread is to provide info on the MMOs out there not really to discuss what we like or dislike about them. The "stripper" aspect of Tera is already mentioned in the original post about the game so the fact that you don't like Tera because of that aspect is pretty irrelevant in the context of this thread.
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